People & Inspiration

In Focus: If You're Thinking About Freelancing, Here's What You Should Know First

With the traffic becoming more and more unbearable, it seems like hustling as a freelancer is the way to go in order to beat the system. It really sounds like a dream to earn money while enjoying your freedom in the comforts of your home without trying to play the rush hour game, and we totally agree.

But you guessed it right: just like all the good things in life, there is always a catch.

Whether you are planning on jumping on the freelancer train or you’re already one and you’re looking for someone who understands your struggles, we’ve listed the pros and cons of freelancing just for you.

1. You have a unique "pay day."

Pro: You don’t have to wait every 15th or 30th to get your paycheck. This means you can make it rain even when the rest of the world is dealing with petsa de peligro. The cash will just keep flowing with more deals that you get and more projects that you finish.

Con: You don’t have a regular paycheck. It sure feels great financial-wise when work comes pouring in, but what if it doesn’t? Unlike regular employees, you wouldn’t have the safety blanket of knowing that you just have to make ends meet until the next payday.

2. The world is your office.

Pro: You can get stuff done in your own terms: when, where, and how exactly you want to. Your schedule doesn’t have to revolve around your work. It’s actually the opposite: you get to adjust your work according to your lifestyle.

Con: It’s easier to lose in the work and life balance game because the lines between these two can get a little blurry if you’re not careful (or sometimes even when you are.) You may feel the need to deal with your job in the middle of something personal and vice-versa.

3. You're able to choose your projects.

Pro: Doing the same set of tasks again and again can lead to boredom, no matter how much you love what you’re doing. It's called burning out. As a freelancer, this is something you don’t have to deal with if you don’t want to. You can just say no and set your eyes towards another project that actually excites you.

Con: There are rare gems about yourself that you can only discover while working on something that does not particularly strike your interest. Missing out on an opportunity to expand your horizon is possible when you have the freedom to nitpick the ventures you take on.

In the end, freelancing is just this great balancing act of making sure that the benefits you reap outweigh the disadvantages of this working setup. It will all boil down to identifying how you want to make that bread in such a way that you would grow more.